Stoker



J. MACPHERSON, JR.

STOKER,

APPLICATION HLED APR. 29, 1921.

Patented Aug. 1, 1922.

1 J FM y;

ATTORNEY a an, or new at Specification of Letters Eatent. v PatentedAug, 1, 1922,

Application filed April 29, 1921. Serial No. 465,865.

To all whom it mag concern provements in Stokers, of which the followinis a specification.

y invention relates to the class of stokers in which a reciprocative ramor piston pushes the coal to the bed fi're. In such stokers the coal isliable to become caked or hardened above the ram or piston with theresult that the coal is not properly fed at times and the ram becomesmore or less injured from the fire by reason of the absence of coal fromin front of the piston.

The object of my invention is to provide means to stir or break the coalover the ram or piston, to prevent the coal from becoming caked orbridged to assure that the coal will descend in front of the ram to bepushed thereby to the fire.

My invention comprises novel details of improvement that will be 'morefully here inafter set forth and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof,whereinig. 1 is a planview of a stoker embodying my invention; Fi 2 is across section on line 2, 2, of Fig. 1; ig. 3 is a longitudinal sectionof Fig. 1, showing the ram or piston in the forward position, and Fig. 4is an end View of Fig. 3. In Figs. 1' and 4 the hopper 9 is omitted.

In the drawings the numeral 1 indicates.

the ram box having a cylindrical portion 1 for the ram or piston 2andthe upper hopper-like portion 1 with downwardly inclined walls tofeed coal to a position in front of the ram. A coal outlet spout orchute 3 receives coal pushed by the ram. The ram may be reciprocated inbore 1 by means of a connecting rod 4 pivotally connected with the ramat 5 and pivotally connected with a crank 6 on a shaft 7 carriedin'bearings 8 on the ram box. The shaft may be driven by a motor andtransmission gearing in a usual way, (not shown). A hopper 9 over thehopper-like portion 1 directs coal to the latter, as usual. Theforegoing parts are generally of a well known construction illustratedin connection with my improvements.

My improvements comprise means operated by the ram or piston to stir orbreak the coal in the hoppers. A rockable member 10, shown somewhat inthe form of a bell-crank, is pivotally supported at 11 to rockvertically within the hoppers. I have shown member 10 supported by pivot11 in a jaw 12 secured by nut 13 on one wall of the ram box. The lowerarm 10 of member 10 is adapted to cooperate with the ram and the upperarm '10" of said member is adapted ,to rise. and descend in the coal inthe hoppers. provided with a roller 14 to bear against the inner end ofthe ram, and to ride on the u per edge of the ram when the latter is fu1y forward, (Fig. 3). The forward end of the ram is shown provided witha vertically disposed sinuous or irregular groove 15 to cooperate witharm 10 of member 10, as with roller 14, to impart lateral motion tomember 10 as it rises and descends. Said groove extends along the upperforward edge of the ram. 1 Member 10 has sufiicient freedom in jaw 12for lateral wabble. By preference arm l0 has one or more lateralprojections 16 to engage the coal during the rise and descent of saidarm.

To stir the coal at the sides of the hopper I provide gears 17 18pivotally supported by pivots 19 secured on the side wall of the hopper1 by nuts 20, the sides of the ram or piston having rack teeth 21 toengage said gears. As the ram is reciprocated its racks will engage androck the gears 17, the

teeth of which in the coal in hopper l will stir the coal.

When the ram is withdrawn (Fig. 1) the member 10 will descend by itsweight with arm 10 in front of the ram and arm 10 will be lowered. Whenthe ram advances the member 10 will be rocked upwardly by the rampushing on arm 10, whereby arm 10 will be forced into the coal above tostir the coal or break the coal if caked, the projections 16 aiding inthe operation. The

lateral motion or wabble imparted to member 10 will cause it to have asort of zigzag motion in the coal. When the ram recedes the member 10will descend in.the coal.

The action of member 10 will be to so stir and agitate the coal in thehoppers that it will descend in front of the ram to be pushed from theram box through outlet 3 to the bed fire. The gears 17, when used, keepthe coal from becoming packed at the sides of the ram. Since the coalis, by member 10,

The free end of arm 10 is shown kept from packing or bridging over theram the feeding of the coal from the ram box will be assured, and sincecoal will be kept in front of the ram the latter will be protected bythe coal from the heat from the bed fire in front, increasing the lifeof the ram over rams subject to heat from the fire.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is 1. A stoker having amovable ram, means to operate the ram, a member movably supported to beoperated by the ram to engage coalover the ram, said ram having means tomove said member sideways. 4

2. A, stoker provided with a reciprocative ram and a hopper, and amember pivotally supported over the ram, said member having a lower armin slidable engagement with the ram and an upper arm operative in thehopper to engage coal therein.

A stoker provided with a reciprocative ram and a hopper, a membermovably supported over the ram to be engaged thereby to move the memberwithin the hopper, said ram having a sinuous groove to operate themember sideways.

4. A stoker provided with a reciprooative ram and a hopper, and a memberpivotally waters ing a lower arm to extend in front of the ram to rockthe-member on its pivot and an upper arm operative vertically.. v 6. Astoker having a reciprooative ram and a hopper-like portion over theram, a

member pivot-ally supported in said hopper like portion over the ram,said member hav- 1ng a lower arm to be operated by the ram and an upperarm operative vertically, said I ram having an upwardly disposed sinuousgroove to operate said membersideways.

7. A stoker having a reciprooative ram provided with a rack, and a gearpivotally supported at one side of the ram to be enga ed by said rack.

igned at New York city, in the county of New York, and State of NewYork, this 28th'day of A ril, A. D. 1921.

JA- S MACPHERSON, JR. I

